Boys basketball: April 2008 Archives

Neuqua Valley senior Dan Pawelski will play his college basketball at Loras College, Chicagohoops.com reported on Tuesday.

Head coach Greg Gorton and Loras College have scored a major recruiting coup, and have landed 6-8 Neuqua Valley star Dan Pawelski. Pawelski is coming off of a huge senior season which saw him tabbed as a 4th team All-State selection.

Loras College is a Catholic liberal arts school in Dubuque, Iowa. As a NCAA Division III program, it does not provide athletic scholarships.

The Chicago Tribune cited on Friday an April 18 report on Chicagohoops.com that said Neuqua Valley forward Dwayne Evans now has a scholarship offer from Northern Illinois.

Evans, a 6-5 forward, is a long, athletic and highly mobile player on the basketball court. He is an outstanding rebounder and defender who is equally comfortable offensively both inside, and on the perimeter.

Evans is a prospect who is poised to see his recruiting stock soar this spring and summer on the heels of a strong sophomore season at Neuqua Valley High School.

Neuqua Valley's Dwayne Evans and Naperville Central's Drew Crawford played in the Read Deal on the Hill basketball tournament in Fayetteville, Ark., over the weekend for their club team Illinois Warriors.

Normally on the U16 team, Evans along with Young's Anthony Johnson was brought up to the U17 team for the championship game of the tournament after Hononegah's David Brown was injured.

Illinois Prep Bullseye wrote on Sunday that Naperville Central guard Drew Crawford is one of six players who could break out this spring and summer. Roy and Harv weren't overly effusive with the praise, but did say that Crawford's club team Illinois Warriors would provide a schedule that will "fully maximize all of his strengths."

While others are much higher on Crawford than we are at this point, that does not mean that we think that Crawford isn't capable of being a terrific college player. He is long and athletic, plays with a high degree of energy, is an outstanding mid-range scorer and while he is streaky from beyond the arc, he undoubtedly has range.

The other players on the list were Seneca's Seth Evans, Lake Zurich's Connor Mooney, North Lawndale's John Taylor, Mundelein sophomore Ben Brust and D.J. Cooper of Chicago Hales Franciscan.

City/Suburban Hoops report named Crawford and Waubonsie Valley's Jelani Johnson to its Top 50 College Prospects list on April 5.

Naperville Central star Drew Crawford and Waubonsie Valley forward Jelani Johnson were named to the City/Suburban Hoops Report's Top 50 College Prospects list going into the summer.

Crawford, who was The Sun's player of the year as a junior, was ranked No. 20 on the list.

As versatile as they get; makes those around him better.

Johnson was All-City as a junior, and is one of the players The Heat Index thought might next year make the same leap Crawford made from standout to superstar.

The 6-foot-4 forward is No. 38 on the list. The City/Suburban Hoops Report seems to share our opinion of Johnson.

under-the-radar talent just scratching the surface.

So you know, Gurnee Warren guard Brandon Paul is No. 1 on the list. Also, City/Suburban Hoops Report called Downers South guard Malcolm Herron (No. 16), "the most overlooked player right now in Illinois."

After 19 years, Marty Gaughan has resigned from his position as Benet boys basketball coach, the school announced Tuesday, though he will remain in Lisle as assistant athletic director.

The job began to consume too much of his time, Gaughan said over the phone on Tuesday, and he will now be free to watch his son Brian, a graduating Benet senior, play Division III basketball next season at Loras College (Iowa).

Gaughan, 46, will be part of the search committee to find his replacement. He said he expects the school to name the new coach by early May. Look in Wednesday's print edition for more information.